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Marvel & Noah Hawley Still Discussing His Doctor Doom Movie
A Doctor Doom movie may happen after all, as Noah Hawley confirmed discussions are ongoing with Marvel Studios. The film has faced quite the battle in its journey to the screen. Hawley first announced he was writing the film back in 2017 when Fox owned the character. The script was nearly complete by June of the next year, and Hawley said that both he and Fox were happy with the result. However, the movie was then reportedly shelved leading up to the acquisition of Fox and its characters by Disney earlier this year.
Hawley previously called the movie "a mixture of genres," similar to how Captain America: The Winter Soldier was both a political thriller and a superhero movie. At the time, he also mentioned the film would grapple with Doom's morality and question whether he was really a hero or villain. Hawley also called Doom a "fascinating and under-served character" and said that his mission wasn't to reboot the Fantastic Four franchise, but rather focus on one character who hadn't been explored as much. As far as casting for the leading role, popular TV and movie villain Mads Mikkelsen threw his hat in the ring a couple of years ago.
In an interview with THR, Hawley confirmed that he recently had a meeting with Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige and said that the Doctor Doom movie is far from dead. He elaborated, "I wrote a script about Doctor Doom, an antihero story I really like, and we're still talking about making it." Hawley also spoke of the everyday nature of superhero stories:
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"What was interesting to me originally about the X-Men universe is these are movies that started in a concentration camp. They are clearly concerned with the true nature of human evil. It's not just some cosmic force bringing about the end of the world. That's what was always interesting to me here. Let's explore through this genre the everyday evils we do to each other, the ways we hurt each other and take each other for granted...I think they are morality tales on a larger scale, and it's better to be part of the conversation than pretend the conversation isn't happening."
Hawley went on to discuss what he could offer the MCU, explaining, "I know the genre can do all of these amazing things that [the Marvel Cinematic Universe] is doing, but my feeling is, what else can we do with it?" He also asked, "Can we make it surreal? Can we make it musical?" which are two styles that the MCU hasn't explored too much so far, aside from Doctor Strange. A musical Marvel film would be especially surprising, though music played an important role in both Guardians of the Galaxy movies. Either way, Hawley would bring something new to Marvel at the very time they need it most, with the Infinity Saga having just concluded with Avengers: Endgame.
A Doctor Doom movie would be notable because the character is a villain, and villains are rarely the focus of blockbuster superhero films. DC's Suicide Squad is probably the most recent example, as it told the story of a team of supervillains working to save the world in exchange for reduced prison time. Meanwhile, Doctor Doom is the enemy of Reed Richards and the Fantastic Four but in the comics, has come in contact with most of the Avengers as well. Doom has been featured in four Fantastic Four movies, but this would be his first standalone film. It sounds like Hawley has a good grasp on the character and some interesting ideas. Another villain-led film could be just the thing to shake up the superhero genre - that is, if Doctor Doom ever happens.
